Gut Feelings: nurturing your pet’s gut health for overall wellbeing

The health of your pet’s gut plays a pivotal role in their overall wellbeing. As a pet owner, you have the power to influence this. Gut health is implicated in everything from digestion to immune system function. So, what is the microbiome? Why care about it, and how can we look after it to keep our pets in tip-top health?

Your pet’s gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, termed the "gut microbiome". Most of these microorganisms live in a "symbiotic" relationship with your pet. When your pet is healthy, these microorganisms coexist peacefully and even benefit your pet’s health.

Our knowledge of the gut microbiome’s role in health and disease is very much in its infancy. However, we do know that gut microbes play essential roles in digestion, synthesising specific vital vitamins, nutrient absorption, and regulating the immune system and also help stop the bad or "pathogenic" microorganisms from taking over and causing disease. The gut microbiome may have broader implications on our pet’s other organs and even impact their behaviour through a bidirectional communication highway between the gut and brain called the Gut-Brain-Axis.

When something impacts this ecosystem in the gastrointestinal tract, such as a course of antibiotics, a change in diet, another disease or even a stressful event, the delicate microbial balance is disrupted. This disruption, termed "dysbiosis" can upset the gut causing diarrhoea, loss of appetite, flatulence or tummy aches. It’s important to note that usually, this is short-lived but, in some cases, dysbiosis leads to long-term gastrointestinal problems for your pet.

The best way to support your pet’s gut health is to feed them a high-quality, balanced diet suited to their species and life stage. Every different animal species has specific nutrient requirements, and these nutritional needs change as they go through life. High-quality commercial pet foods will meet these dietary needs; some diets even contain additional probiotic and prebiotic ingredients. Prebiotics are dietary fibres that act as food for the good bugs in your pet’s gut, while probiotics are live microorganisms introduced into the body for their beneficial qualities.

You can supplement your pet’s diet with probiotics to support their digestion. If you choose to do this, use a vet-recommended product such as Purina PRO PLAN FortiFlora for cats and dogs. It comes in powder format, it’s easy to use, simply open the sachet and sprinkle it on top of their regular food. And with the dosage being one sachet a day, there’s no measuring needed, or messy, half-open sachets left laying around.

So, we know good gut health is essential, but how do we know something isn’t right with our pet’s microbiome? Poor gut health may often present clinical signs that we, as pet owners, can detect. These include changes in stool consistency, increased flatulence, changes to appetite, weight loss, or vomiting. Less obvious signs may be alterations in coat quality or energy levels.

The microscopic world within our pets’ guts is fascinating, and our knowledge of this field is ever-expanding. You can care for your pet’s gut health by ensuring they eat a balanced, high-quality diet. If your pet’s diet doesn’t contain probiotics, you can also consider introducing them through products such as Purina PRO PLAN FortiFlora.